Well, the season is not starting out any better than last year. To date (June 14), we have had less than 1.5 inches of rain. All crops were seeded into moisture but, again as last year, the wind has had a negative impact. We are pleased for the other areas of the province that have received rain and we are hopeful that it will start here soon.
Another busy season is underway. Our first tour is June 15. We are hosting a delegation from China interested in learning everything they can about direct seeding. The tour is coordinated by PFRA who is taking this group to a number of facilities and events including PAMI, Bourgault and the Western Canada Farm Progress Show. To cap what they are seeing in the manufacturing end, they are coming to the CLC for a field demonstration. We will be seeding two sections, one with the Edwards hoe drill and one with the Flexicoil air drill. We look forward to the visit.
July 14?Agricultural Institute of Canada - Agricultural professionals from across Canada
July 30 Provincial Council of ADD Boards
The CLC's annual General Tour is being held on Tuesday, July 23. We will begin the day with a producer panel. We have invited a number of local producers who have either retrofitted equipment for direct seeding or who operate some of the less-known "brands". They will discuss how they made changes and the pros and cons of their seeders. In the afternoon, we will proceed with the general tour.
Just a short highlight of new projects at the CLC:
as well as our established projects - woodlot, shelterbelt garden, dense nesting cover, native plants study and forage gardens. In addition, researchers from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada continue their plots evaluating nitrogen fertilizer use, disease and landscape and aster yellows incidence in field crops and vegetables.
This summer, the CLC will be implementing a containment system for our liquid fertilizer and fuel tanks. Type of containment (concrete pad, plastic-lined clay trench or metal system) has yet to be chosen but we hope to have it in place by mid-summer.
The Conservation Learning Centre is very pleased to be included in the Saskatchewan Agri-ARM (Agriculture-Applied Research Management) Program. Agri-ARM connects eight regional applied research and demonstration sites into a province-wide network. The mission is to conduct producer-driven applied research and demonstration, with results that extend beyond the farm gate to increase the value of crop production and improve agricultural sustainability. The focus is increasing the value from crops and enhancing production efficiency and environmental stewardship in the region.
Saskatchewan Agriculture, Food and Rural Revitalization, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the College of Agriculture at the University of Saskatchewan, the Provincial Council of Agriculture Development and Diversification Boards and local producer groups are all partners in the organization and provide in-kind, financial, scientific and/or administrative support to the network.
We look forward to involvement in many new and exciting province-wide projects and welcome any suggestions for projects.
Drop by this summer and check out our Maize Maze!!